From Genesis to Revelation

Ha ha long time no post. That is a good trick I know how to do. Please enjoy my long stretches of silence! 

This post barely qualifies as a break in the radio silence. It is just an idea I had while camping last weekend and wanted to get onto paper. Well, that's basically all this blog is. It's a place where thought abortions go to die. 

In OSR games, quick character generation is a must. Builds are eschewed. Quick and dirty characters spring forth from their birthing sacs in a spray of 3d6 in order/swap one. I love fast character gen, but have always had some mixed feelings about the traditional B/X methods of stat generation. I usually keep a bizarre menagerie of characters that I want to play waiting in the wings. I like to make characters based on other people's characters: kindly uncles, lost lovers, rivals. I tend to sit down at the table with more ideas about what I want to play than the standard rolling method might afford. 

This is a house rule for stat generation in the vein of "the standard spread" ala 3E/5E. It is inspired by my favorite part of Torchbearer's character creation--which is decidedly not quick. 

Based on your race, answer three questions. Write down your attributes accordingly. 

Humans (Fighters, Thieves, Magic-Users, Clerics, et al)

1. When you hear words questioning your honor spoken in haste or anger, do you demand satisfaction or wait for cooler heads to prevail?

• If you demand satisfaction, you have Str 14, Wis 10.
• If you wait for tempers to cool before you deal with the situation, you have Str 10, Wis 14.

2. When the hoards of goblins come screaming towards your village walls, do you take your family to safety or rush headlong to meet them?

• If you retreat with your loved ones, you have Dex 8, Int 14.
• If you heedlessly fight, you have Dex 14, Int 8.

3. Do you spend your evenings boasting and drinking, or quietly preparing yourself for the hard times to come?

• If you spend time boasting and drinking, you have Con 12, Cha 13. 
• If you you quietly prepare, you have Con 13, Cha 12. 

Special: Fighters gain Str +1, Magic-Users gain Int +1, Thieves gain Dex +1, and Clerics gain Wis +1. 

Dwarves

1. What is best in life? The acquisition of wealth or pride in the works of your hands?

• If you think gold is best, you have Con 15, Wis 13. 
• If you most love your own crafts, you have Con 13, Wis 15. 

2. When the dragon came and stole the wealth of your hold, did you wish to seek revenge or rebuild?

• If you swore revenge, you have Str 14, Int 10. 
• If you sought to rebuild, you have Str 10, Int 14. 

3. When the elves raise their concerns, do you speak with them as equals or challenge their hubris?

• If you speak with the elves, you have Dex 8, Cha 12. 
• If you challenge the elves, you have Dex 12, Cha 8. 

Elves

1. Do you continue to build new and wonderful things under the bright sun, or do you cherish the memories of the past under the pale stars? 

• If you continue to build, you have Dex 15, Int 13.
• If you cherish your memories, you have Dex 13, Int 15. 

2. When the Shadow rises, will you risk all to turn it back or will you preserve the glories of the elves forever in the deepest woods? 

• If you would fight the Shadow, you have Str 10, Con 8. 
• If you would retreat to the safety of the deep woods, you have Str 8, Con 10. 

3. When you remember the glories of the past, do you harden your heart against the grief, or do you let the tears fall?

• If you harden your heart and stay merry, you have Cha 14, Wis 12. 
• If you allow yourself to grieve, you have Cha 12, Wis 14. 

Halflings

1. Do you consider yourself a respectable gentle-halfling, or have you always been a troublemaker? 

• If you're a gentle-halfling, you have Dex 13, Cha 15.
• If you're a bit of a scoundrel, you have Dex 15, Cha 13.

2. Do you always eat second breakfast, even if supplies or short? Or do you tighten your belt and make sure there's enough to last? 

• If you always have second breakfast, you have Con 14, Wis 10. 
• If you try and conserve your supplies, you have Con 10, Wis 14.

3. Do you prefer to trade stories at the local pub or wander far afield by yourself?

• If you prefer to trade stories at the pub, you have Str 8, Int 12.
• If you prefer to wander the roads, you have Str 12, Int 8.